Good Roof Shingle Colors for Dark Brown House

[Api D.]

We are looking for a good, not-ugly, light-color shingle for our chocolate brown house.😬

[micky]

You probably won't have a big selection, but only one will be "ugly" imo. Tan is a good color.

[Marilyn Manson]

We don't know what you consider ugly. We don't know what colors you like/dislike, even if they are not ugly. We don't where you house is located and what type of shingle is best for your climate. We don't know the configuration of your roof, which can impact both the look and viability of different shingle types.

We don't know any of that, but I know who does: All of your local roofing contractors who can assess your needs and wants and provide brochures from various roofing manufacturers containing shingle types and available colors.

Or...try one of these "visualizer" sites to help you get an idea of what pleases your eye:

[micky]

BTW, I used tan on my house about 20 years ago and it was a bad time for me, and I failed to save the brand or color of the shingles. I did save half a pack but I left them outside where they got sort of ruined, and even when I threw them away, I didn't save the brand or color.

So 20 years later when there was a leak into the attic, I didn't know where to look for matching shingles. If I'd had the brand and they still had the color I could have bought the stuff myself and any roofer would have used what I gave him. Instead I depended on his colors, none of which were the same. I chose tan again, for patching right at the crest of the roof, on my two story house, and it doesn't match but I have never noticed it. Even when I look at it, if there is any change in color from one part to the next, it looks like some visual effect of the sunlight.

I can't promise this for you. Save some shingles for repairs later, and save the make and color.

[Jim Joyce]

20 years later and you're looking for matching shingles? The entire roof has probably been replaced twice in that time. The roof on my last house lasted 8 years. It was doing, not great, OK until a certain hail storm came through.

[Marilyn Manson]

If you are replacing roofs every 10 years, you should let someone else shop roofs for you. 8 years and your roof was just “OK”? What did they use, roll roofing?

[Jim Joyce]

I'm not sure what you're getting at. On my last two houses, I had to replace the roofs that were on the houses when I bought them. I've never had to replace a roof that I bought, but that's because I don't stay in one place long enough.

In both cases, I replaced the damaged roofs with GAF 30/yr asphalt shingles, which is what everyone else in those neighborhoods used and what the HOA mandated. (Most of the houses in both of those neighborhoods were getting new roofs as a result of a storm that passed through.) I would expect to get 10-12 years from those 30/yr shingles, but I wasn't there long enough to find out. What I do know, though, is that the mfr's warranty is no match for hail and tornadoes. One of my neighbors in San Antonio was mad because he had to replace his roof twice in the same year, (two insurance deductibles), but mother nature doesn't take that into consideration.

Where I live now, we haven't had a tornado and our hail has been manageable, but we took a fairly direct hit from a hurricane last year (115-125mph winds) and our then-two-year-old roof only lost a few shingles, mostly up along the ridge vent. I talked to a couple of roofing contractors at the time, although I ended up not using them, and they said a typical asphalt roof gets replaced in 8-10 years here, so that's the same as my last two locations.

Judging from your reply, you probably get a longer life from your roof than we do in Kansas, Texas, and now MS. Or maybe you're not using asphalt shingles. Composite, perhaps? Steel roof?

If you and micky are still using the same roof after 20 years, more power to you. I've lived in over a dozen parts of the US and I don't think I've ever seen that except from a steel roof. We're not allowed to use those, but I wouldn't anyway because I wouldn't get the money back when I sell.

[hubops]

I'd guess that 20 years is typical here in sw Ontario - that's a decent asphalt shingle, properly installed over a properly ventilated structure, and not trying to squeeze another too-many years out of them .. When I last had my house re-shingled, - for the quote - the roofer brought 3 "qualities" samples to show me - I think they were 15 year 25 year and 30 year ish and he said that he will not install the cheapest one ever on a home - it was obvious why - very thin & flimsy. I doubt that I'll get 30 years from my 30 year shingles but I sure expect to get 20 years .. John T.

[micky]

IN my case, the front of the house faces north and the 3-tab asphalt? shingles looked fine. The rear faces sounth but I can't back up far enough to see the roof. If I go farther, I'm in the stream bed and 6 feet lower Hmmm. Maybe I could see from there, I've not tried.

What I did do somewhere over the years is attach a usb camera to an extension pole -- no wait, t hat was to see what was in a gutter, and it didn't work For the roof I thought abiut buying a drone or a quadcopter. It would be fun to have anyhow.

Though I couldn't see it, the southern facing half of the roof was bad, curling up quite a bit, though I t hink it was years more than 20.

[hubops]

My brother's house was just like that - north side looked OK - south side shingles were down to the fibers ! I climbed up for a closer look-see and had to ask for the ladder to be moved - - to the good north side - to make it down safely. Don't wait too long to call for repairs ! John T.

[Vic Smith]

I'm in northern Illinois. I had my roof shingled in 2001 and I can't see a difference from when they did it. It's a hip roof. GAF Timberline. I expect to get 30 years, but won't bet on it. Over the years I've seen very little amounts of rock granules in the gutters. The main cause of shingle deterioration is UV, and that's a product of losing their rock granules. Driving rain, hail and high winds cause most of it. Very little of that here.

[Marilyn Manson]

I'm getting at this:

"20 years later and you're looking for matching shingles? The entire roof has probably been replaced twice in that time."

20 divided by "twice" is 10. That was your claim.

I call BS on that.

And yet you've never lived anywhere long enough to replace your own roof. So how do you know how long other people's roofs have lasted? You can't have seen anyone replace their roof and then do it again, because you're never around long enough. Where are you getting the information about roofs that supports your "the entire roof has probably been replaced twice in that time" (20 years) statement?

[Jim Joyce]

I call BS on your claim of BS. I probably know my personal experience better than you think you do.

Correct. As I explained above, the two roofs that I replaced were in place when I bought the houses. Both were installed by the builder.

You sound curious, so here's some additional detail.

Kansas City - house built in 1996, we purchased it with the original roof in 2001 and replaced the roof in 2005.

San Antonio - house built in 2006, we purchased it with the original roof in 2013 and replaced the roof in 2018.

If you're good at math, you'll notice that I exaggerated a bit when I said I get 10 years from a roof. I didn't mean to mislead you. It's actually less than that, and as I said, the primary culprit in those two cases was weather.

I didn't mean to say anything about anyone else's roof, except of course in my first reply where I wondered if a 20-y/o roof had been replaced twice by now. In this part of the thread, I'm talking about roofs on my own homes. I know how long those roofs lasted because I know when the houses were built, I know their histories, and I know when I replaced the roofs.

Please reconsider. Like I said, one of my neighbors in San Antonio replaced his roof twice in the same year, once in early spring and again in late summer or early fall. I lived in SA for about 6 years, including the year in question.

From my personal experience. I explained that, in detail, in the post to which you replied. It's still quoted above.

[micky]

WADR, Jim, I don't think you understand the internet. The person who posts lasts knows the most about a topic, even including the personal lives of those who posted before him. There are "web bugs" and cell-phone hacks all over the place that allow many of us to know everything, even when the phone and computer are turned off. It's the price we pay for free international phone calls, for paying our bills online, ordering groceries online, etc. IOW, for progress. Right now, I can tell you what you're having for lunch.

[Jim Joyce]

I stand corrected. (And it was tuna.)